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Field bindweed, Convolvulus arvensis, is a pretty, white-flowering climber loved by butterflies. However, it's a pernicious weed that will smother anything in its path, and will quickly take over beds, borders, walls and fences unless kept in check

wildlife into your garden, keep a few stems of valerian for them. There is an ornamental white form of valerian.Stems of bright pink-red flowers that quickly spread across the garden, taking over in beds and borders.The best organic control is digging

in no time. The best organic control is digging the plant out and trimming it to keep it in check if you don't want to remove it altogether. If it spreads onto the lawn it can be controlled by mowing. If you don't want to dig it out, you can spot

and restrict their growth. Willowherb will take over any domestic garden, spreading by seed and tough underground roots to form dense clumps. Keep digging the plants out. Willowherb can be forked out fairly easily - especially when the soil is loosened after

.In the lawn, your best bet is to dig out affected areas and replace patches of lawn with weed-free turf. In other parts of the garden, just dig it out. Mind you, it's worth bearing in mind clover has nitrogen-fixing nodules on its roots, so it acts

. It spreads by sprouting from thick, woody rhizomes, and can grow 1.2m in one season. Winter is the only time of year that offers a reprieve, but for the rest of the year it's a plant that needs tough handling as soon as it appears. This weed is especially

Creeping thistle, Cirsium arvense, is a pernicious weed that will quickly take over your garden unless kept in check. Winter is the only time of year that offers a reprieve, but for the rest of the year the best way to tackle it is to dig it out

of nectar for bees. However, once it is established in your garden it will quickly spread, causing particular problems when it appears in the lawn. Plant spreads by underground stems and seeds and produces large drought-resistant patches in lawns, so grass

to grow again when the stems are cut down.Spreading thickets of thorny, woody growth, which compete with cultivated plants for light, water and nutrients. Cut back stems and dig out roots thoroughly. Pull out seedlings and young plants before they become

yields in vegetable beds. Dig out all the roots and underground stems of this grass, especially at the edge of infested lawns. Where couch is growing in permanently planted borders, it's easier to lift all the plants and tease out the weed from